October 16, 2018
Diversity Programs Office Update
Greetings, we hope everyone is doing well in their fall semester. The Diversity Programs Office (DPO) has been busy and continues to amass success.
In September, Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) celebrated their MANRRS week from September 17-21. It was an amazing and successful turnout. They held membership drives, Cat’s Cupboard donations in partnership with Ag Student Council and Ag Ambassadors for flood victims, a Panda Express fundraiser, a Corporate Showcase during the University-wide Career Fair, and a College for a Day with 37 students and 4 chaperones from Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences (CHSAS), IL. Specifically, on Tuesday, MANRRS members assisted with the tour of K-State, attended the Career Fair, and spent time bowling with the CHSAS’s students. Both groups had a wonderful time and we look forward to continuing this program with them.
During MANRRS week, “Diversity: Growing Our Mindset III,” had its kick off. It is a program that encourages students to get out of their comfort zone and attend other organizations' meetings or events. Then, we have those students fill out an online survey and record their responses to those meetings and events. A forum will take place on November 27, in the Leadership Studies Building to discuss those responses. Hormel is supporting this “Growing Our Mindset” and will have a representative that will lead the dialogue at the forum.
Congratulations to Lonnie Hobbs, Jr., graduate student in Agricultural Economics, for receiving the George Washington Carver Award for Innovation and Service on Tuesday, September 25, from the 3rd Annual George Washington Carver Symposium and Award Dinner at Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL.
On Tuesday, October 9, the importance of KSUnite was shown by the cancellation of classes in the afternoon. Selected students discussed about their experience at K-State and the importance of diversity. Dr. Bernard Franklin, K-State Alumni and now Vice President for Student Life at Mount St. Mary’s University (MD), had the honor to speak in front of the K-State student body and his speech was insightful and moving. It was a huge success with the amount of participants that attended that eventually, the audience expanded into overflow. We like to thank various groups/students/faculty/staff for leading this event and especially our own Makinsey McIntosh, former K-State MANRRS President and a representative of the MSO from the SGA board.
The K-State MANRRS chapter had a 20 member delegation attending the Region IV Cluster under the leadership of Tiffany Carter, National MANRRS graduate student president; and Lonnie Hobbs, Jr., Region IV graduate student vice president in Oklahoma City, OK; on October 12-14, 2018. This is the most we have had in many years. Thank you to everyone who helped these students prepare for this conference and the students who took their time to attend this event. At this event, an Elevator Speech and Impromptu Speech contest was held. We’re happy to announce that:
• Jasmin Choate, a freshmen in Animal Sciences & Industry, placed first in the Elevator Speech
• Jordan Bailey, a sophomore in Animal Sciences & Industry, placed second in the Impromptu Speech
• Raymond Thomas, a graduate in Agricultural Economics, and his team participated in the Lincoln Douglas Debate and was selected to represent Region IV in the Lincoln Douglas Debate at the 2019 National MANRRS Conference on April 3-7 in Kansas City, KS.
Congratulations to all and thank you for representing K-State!
For those who want to attend MANRRS future meetings, their next general body meeting is on October 17, in 137 Waters Hall at 6:30 p.m.
The DPO will host a College for a Day with Washington High School from Kansas City, KS on November 13.
Thank you Cargill for your support.
The 2018 Michael Tilford Conference on Diversity and Multiculturalism will be held on October 22-23, 2018 at Fort Hays State University, Hays, KS. The DPO will lead the workshop, “Changing Agricultural Demographics: Key to Success in Diversity Programming and Recruitment” at this conference.
Safe travels to all who plan to attend the 2018 KSRE Annual Conference on October 16-18, 2018. We are pleased the Navigating Difference training team will conduct a workshop and have a poster, “Diversity: A Key Core Competency in Practice,” during the Resource fair from 4:30-6 p.m. in the K-State Student Union Ballroom. Best wishes to our trainers who are retiring. We appreciate your work. If you are interested in serving on our team, contact Dr. Zelia Wiley or Linda Lamb at llamb@k-state.edu, or 785-532-1944.
We would also like to thank our office staff, Lonnie Hobbs, Jr., Vi Nguyen, and Ivy Gichohi and volunteers for your hard work! For more information on future events, please contact Dr. Wiley’s email, zwiley@ksu.edu, or the DPO at 785-532-5793.